Author's notes:
Thank you to the great writer Sue Shay for all her help on this chapter and the overall story! I first discussed "I Remember You" and its broad outline with Sue in May 2013, and she has encouraged and supported the project at each step along the way.
One of my favorite aspects of Sue's writing is how she captures warm, intimate dialogue between Jane and Lisbon. A prime example of that is her current story, "Ready or Not." Check it out!
I do not own the TV show The Mentalist and get no compensation from it. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes only.
Notes on the chapter title follow the end of the chapter.
Chapter 14: I Only Have Eyes For You
Teresa Lisbon had surprised Patrick Jane; she knew that. He was tongue-tied and couldn't speak. With her arms resting on the edge of the pool, she lifted her gaze to meet his. Soon enough he broke into a grin, removed his overcoat, and slipped into the pool next to her.
"Fancy meeting you here, Teresa."
"Something about getting the day started with a nice swim. It's invigorating."
"I agree. I didn't know you swam."
Her smile answered his own.
"There's a lot that neither you nor I know about me. When I got in the pool, it seemed second nature to move into the backstroke. Watch me."
With her arms reaching behind her and feet kicking in a steady flutter, she moved with speed down her lane and back. Once she finished the circuit, she raised out of the water to find Patrick with his arms crossed, admiring her.
"You're great! You must have learned that at an early age."
"Said the pot to the kettle." Her turning the phrase around on him this morning made both of them laugh.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
Teresa nodded and they cast off from the wall of the pool.
The longer they swam, the more their motions became the same. She looked at him, he looked at her, and they fell into pacing themselves by the others' speed. When she started swimming beside Patrick, Teresa had concentrated on matching him stroke for stroke. After a while though she forgot about her conscious effort. They simply moved together. After several laps, they took a break at the same time to stand in the water.
"We're in sync, Patrick."
He brushed the wet hair off her face, and his eyes met hers with a warmth that made her weak.
"We've been in sync a long time, Teresa."
Once they returned to the condo, Patrick turned towards the kitchen. Teresa stilled his motion by grabbing his arm.
"You get ready for work. I don't have to go in today. Let me make breakfast this morning."
With a slap on the backside she sent him off to the shower. Soon she heard the pipes singing at a high pitch as hot water surged through the system.
As she started the bacon and eggs, her thoughts drifted to their date. Standing over the stove with a spatula in one hand and a pan in the other, questions flitted through her mind. Where was Patrick going to take her? What kind of music would there be? How would the night end? She tingled with anticipation.
A movement from behind her broke her thoughts. Two arms stretched around her own, and two hands grasped hers to guide the spatula and pan. She looked down to see those arms encased in a freshly laundered, wrinkle-free, white shirt. A clean-shaven cheek brushed against hers, and she inhaled the scent of a citrus-and-jasmine aftershave.
Oh, does he really have to go into work today? He should stay home with me. We can watch the old movie channel together. After that we can think of something else to do.
"My dear, let me show you the proper way to stir scrambled eggs. It takes a certain motion to get things just right." Still holding onto her hands, he guided them while the eggs slid back and forth, taking on a firmness as they cooked.
She twisted her head slightly. Their mouths were millimeters apart.
"And you're the expert, Patrick?"
"I am, Teresa. I'm an expert about many things. And a willing student on others."
"I'll bet you are." She sighed and let her body relax back into his embrace. Catching a whiff of peppermint mouthwash on his breath, she wondered what his lips would taste like.
Teresa could have stayed like that all morning. Well, at least until that pesky tea kettle boiled over and the charred bacon started smoking.
Patrick fiddled with a paper clip as he lay on his couch in the bullpen. He wished he hadn't even come in to the office today, but he and Cho wanted to further their groundwork for the inevitable arrest of Tom Wilcox. It had been some of his finest work at CBI. What had motivated the passion with which he had attacked the case? The answer was clear: Wilcox had come after someone dear to him.
Bastard. You hurt my Teresa so I'll get you.
"My Teresa." The last few days had changed everything about their relationship. Angela had been the only woman who ever interested him, the only woman who had ever penetrated the wall he had built to keep the world at bay. Now there was a second.
If he were honest with himself, this was not a new development. He had suppressed his feelings for Teresa Lisbon a long time, shunted them off to a corner of his mind. Now those feelings had surfaced, what they both knew but never acknowledged.
Enough of this introspection. I've got to get ready for a date!
He headed down to the CBI locker room for a shower and to get dressed. From there he needed to run the Blue Turtle through the car wash…and make one more special stop on the way home.
Carrying a vase of flowers, Patrick opened the door to the condo. A voice from down the hallway greeted him.
"Hi, I'm almost ready. Have a seat."
As he sat on the sofa, his hands moved constantly - he tugged his sleeves, tightened the Windsor knot on his tie, and picked stray pieces of lint off his suit. Patrick snorted to himself when he realized that he was behaving the same way he did when he was courting Angela long ago.
"Hey there, Patrick."
When he raised his gaze, he gasped. The vision he beheld took his breath away. He felt his arms droop to his side in a stupor as he drank in the sight.
Teresa stood before him in a black evening dress, its lines hugging the curves of her body. The dress culminated at the top in a tight, strapless circle that showed the right amount of cleavage to drive a man wild, this one in particular. Along with that, her bare shoulders beckoned his eyes as freshly-shaped curls of hair swished back and forth across them. Those curls framed a face that would never need make-up to look beautiful - a face with the allure of her full, rich lips, the flash of her emerald eyes, the dimpling of her cheeks as she smiled at him.
"Do you like?" She spun around.
"Do I like? You look as if Venus herself came to walk among mortal men. Of course, Venus wouldn't stay for long when she saw the competition you gave her. She'd hang her head in shame and go home. You enchant me the way no mere goddess ever could."
"So you don't mind being seen out in public with me then?"
She's toying with me but I don't care.
"What I mind are all the men I'll have to fend off to keep you to myself. I apologize in advance, I'm selfish. Tonight I plan to keep you all to myself, Teresa." He stood and picked up the vase of a dozen roses he had set on the coffee table. "I brought these for you. Gladys the techie recommended I get them. It has to be good advice because she told me she gave the same advice to her grandson for his prom date."
"These are lovely, Patrick." Teresa inhaled the fragrance of the flowers before she set them back on the table.
"They pale in comparison to you. You are the most ravishing creature I've ever laid eyes on." His hand swept back and forth across her shoulder to the base of her neck. He noted the pleasing shudder it produced in her body and made a note in his memory palace about the exact spot that prompted that shudder.
Good information to know.
She raised her hands to gently push him back a half-step from her. With space opened between them, he saw her eyes now cast a glance up and down him.
"You clean up well yourself. I see your new tie and shoes. They complement your suit nicely."
"And the Blue Turtle is gleaming. When I took it to get washed, I even got the deluxe wax job, just for you. It's so clean now we can eat our dinner right off the hood."
The gentle tinkle of her laugh made his breath catch once more. Her hand rose up to tug his tie then brush her fingertips across his chest.
"Hush. I'm looking forward enough to tonight that I wouldn't even mind eating dinner on top of your car, but why don't we go inside somewhere since we're all dressed up?"
"We're inside right now. Do we really have to go somewhere?"
Now he heard her breath catch.
"You tempt me. You really tempt me, Patrick."
He sighed.
"As you do me, but I've made reservations at Chez Henri's. In addition to the fine cuisine, I found out they have music there in the evening to appeal to us both. I guess it would be a shame to waste that."
"There's nothing that says how long we have to stay there this evening."
"Indeed, my dear. Shall we begin our journey?"
Once Patrick had closed the door behind them, he offered his arm to Teresa. He knew she could see the delight in his eyes when she took it. Arms entwined, they walked to the parking lot.
"So you got the Blue Turtle washed?"
"I did."
"Did you get a service check too? Cause if you didn't and the engine seizes up, you're gonna have to be the one to get out and push. In this get-up, I'm staying in the car to steer."
"Oh, hush, Teresa." They both laughed, and Teresa brought her hand to his face to stroke his cheek.
"I've decided something."
"What?"
"I like the clean-shaven Patrick Jane better than the scruffy one. I love the scent of your aftershave, and I can't keep my hands off your smooth skin."
"Now I'm hoping the car engine seizes up right now and we have to stay home tonight."
After parking the Blue Turtle, Teresa and Patrick walked into Chez Henri's. The rich mahogany decor impressed her, but the way he knew his way around such a setting impressed her even more.
"Ah, Mr. Jane, nice to see you back with your date." The host smiled at them as he picked up two menus and beckoned them to follow him to a candlelit table in the corner, set apart as if in a world of its own.
"So you've been here recently?"
"I haven't eaten here since you and I came for lunch on your birthday a few years ago. I wish you could remember that. We had so much fun together that day."
I wish I could remember too.
"But the host recognized -"
"I stopped by on the way home today. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for tonight."
"Just the fact that we're here together makes it perfect."
"You're sweet. Still, I wanted to leave nothing to chance. You know, first-date jitters."
He feels nervous with me?
She slipped her hand over to lace her fingers between his.
"You don't have to be nervous with me. Besides, I know you must have had first-date jitters in the past."
"Of course I have, but that was in the last millennium. This is the 21st Century now after all." His eyes crinkled again as he spoke.
She stared at him across the candlelight and saw her moonlight man, her friend, the one whose boyish charm beguiled her. She understood now that there were two Patrick Janes, the one he showed to the world at large and the other he shared with her. She felt both honored and aroused by that.
He started humming a tune that sounded familiar to her ears, but she couldn't quite place it.
"Tell me what that song is. I know I've heard it before."
"You heard it this week. It's my favorite of the Fred-and-Ginger tunes."
"I'm still trying to place it."
"My dear, I was humming it because it reminds me of the beauty sitting before me this evening." He started humming louder.
Suddenly an image of Fred sitting at a piano - with a shampoo-soaked Ginger standing behind him - filled her mind.
Now I know!
"It's 'The Way You Look Tonight' from Swing Time." She felt like she'd just conjured up the winning answer on a quiz show.
"Bingo! If ever a song fit the occasion and the woman, this is it."
I know he can see me blush, but I don't care.
"Thank you, Patrick."
Dinner was wonderful. Patrick recommended the prime rib, saying it was what she ordered when they had been here on her birthday. It and the wine he chose were excellent, but nothing compared to the conversation and laughter they shared. Despite the crowded restaurant, she felt like the two of them were a world away from their daily cares.
Patrick tapped her hand then nodded toward the stage in front of the dance floor. The band members had taken position and the vocalist grasped her mike.
"Good evening. We want to welcome you to Chez Henri's tonight. The name of our group is Jazz Peach, and I'm vocalist Calypso Alcott. Thank you for joining us, and let's get things started with some Duke Ellington."
The band swung into action, and soon enough Teresa surmised that the name of the song was "I'm Beginning To See Light." It was a light, airy number that made her want to jump out on the dance floor. As if on cue, Patrick squeezed her hand.
"Shall we?" he asked.
"Let's."
They joined several other couples who had spilled out onto the floor. They danced through the whole set, through the ballads and swings, through the up-tempo numbers and slow dances. As Patrick guided her across the floor, Teresa reveled in the feel of his arms wrapped around her body. She closed her eyes to soak in the heady mix of his tender touch and masculine scent as they twirled around each other.
When the band took a break, they returned to their table. She noted a difference. Before, they had been sitting on opposite sides of the table. Now Patrick scooted his chair around next to hers. He captured her hand in his. That was lovely in itself, but next he brought the back of her hand to his lips to let them glide across her fingers. He raised his eyes to meet hers.
He's asking me if I approve.
She smiled and he continued.
In a few moments he shifted his attention upwards. His hand caressed her bare shoulder, moving back-and-forth across it as he focused his gaze there. Suddenly the touch of his fingertips changed in a way that she couldn't quite discern yet still made her shudder.
"Ah. It's where I remembered it." The look of triumph on his face was unmistakable.
"What?"
"Back at the condo I noticed you had the same reaction when my fingers moved over that place."
"It felt…" Teresa couldn't find the right word to describe the experience.
"Arousing?" Patrick lifted his gaze to meet hers. Taking a deep breath, she answered with her heart.
"Yes."
He nodded.
"It's like I said this morning in the kitchen. I'm an expert on many things and a willing student on others."
"Which are you in regard to me?"
"Both. The more I learn about you, the more I want to find out."
Forget dancing! I want him to take us home right this minute.
The return of the vocalist to the stage broke into her thoughts.
"Welcome back. This next set is going to be special tonight. We've got a couple here celebrating seven years together." She turned around to the members of the band. "Guys, I don't know what the traditional gift for seven years is, but tonight it's going to be our music. Go figure!" The band members and the audience all laughed before Calypso Alcott continued. "Anyway, this whole set of songs is taken from the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. Here's to our happy couple, Reese and Rick. Let's start with that classic Kern and Field's tune, 'The Way You Look Tonight.'"
"Aww, Patrick, that's beautiful." Teresa surveyed the crowd to see if she could pick out the couple. "What a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary. It's lucky we were here the same evening as that couple. Wonder where they are?" She continued to scan the crowd.
"Closer than you think."
Reese and Rick. Why do those names seem familiar? Reese and Rick, Reesa and Trick, Teresa and Patrick!
She jerked her head around to see Patrick chuckling.
"You!" She pointed at him.
"Me?" His face took on a not-quite-innocent look.
"Them?" She asked as confirmation, not question.
"Us!" His grin confirmed her thoughts.
"Seven years?"
"Indeed, my dear. We've been together seven years at CBI, give or take a few days. I came over here on the way home to arrange this. You like?"
"Not like, love! Thank you, Patrick."
He stood and extended his hand.
"Shall we? A favorite song in a favorite restaurant with my favorite lady. Will you do me the honor?"
"Of course."
As she rose from her chair, an impulse seized her. She grasped his neck and brought her lips to his face. Unfortunately, he had just turned to look at the crowd. Her lips landed not on his own lips, her preferred target, but on his cheek, a not-so-bad secondary target.
"Thank you, my dear. That made the evening worthwhile right there." Patrick Jane, the so-called master of his emotions, blushed. Blushed!
"The night's not over yet." Teresa whispered in his ear in a purr, and she noted that it produced a shudder in him to accompany the blush.
Good information to know.
With the whole set made up of Fred-and-Ginger tunes, she felt as if she were seeing the movies again. When the band played "Pick Yourself Up," she thought back to Fred and Ginger jumping the fence, moving past their boundaries. Now she and her moonlight man were moving past their own boundaries. That idea thrilled her.
The vocalist's words brought her out of her reverie.
"Ladies and gentleman, to conclude this set, we want to do that Irving Berlin classic 'Cheek To Cheek.' We hope you've enjoyed our excursion into the world of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and congratulations again to our happy couple Reese and Rick on their anniversary."
"Are you glad I didn't wear a dress with feathers?" She reached up to stroke his chin.
"You bewitch me no matter what you wear, Teresa."
The band played 'Cheek To Cheek' at a mid-tempo pace, and the two of them spent most of the dance doing what the song title suggested. She loved the feel of his smooth skin next to her own. At the end of the song as the notes faded into the air, their motion stilled. Patrick raised himself up to kiss the top of her head. In turn, Teresa tugged his jacket to bring his ear around to her mouth. She kissed his ear lobe and spoke in a throaty whisper.
"Take us home. Now."
They stood alone on the dance floor, their arms entwined around each other. The unspoken message their eyes conveyed made them both quiver. She took a deep breath, and at the same time the two of them leaned toward each other, their lips closing the distance between them.
"Mr. Jane? Agent Lisbon?"
A reedy voice broke the mood. She looked over to see the agent du jour from the security detail with a bashful look on his face and a cell phone in his hand.
"What is it?" She heard the irritation in Patrick's voice as he turned to the young man.
"Sir, Agent Cho has been trying to get in touch with you. He said he knows you both have shut off your cell phones but this is urgent." The agent handed his cell phone to Patrick. He brought the phone to his ear.
"This better be important, Cho."
Teresa watched as Patrick's countenance changed from happy to shocked. The phone slipped through his hand and tumbled to the floor. As the agent du jour scrambled to pick it up, Patrick remained frozen in place, his hand hanging in mid-air.
"What is it, Patrick? What's wrong?"
Fear seized Teresa as she looked at his flushed face.
"Tom Wilcox is dead."
"Dead? How can that be?"
"Murdered. By Red John."
To be continued.
Author's notes:
Harry Warren and Al Dubin wrote "I Only Have Eyes For You" in 1934. Many singers including Ella Fitzgerald have recorded the song, and my favorite is by Art Garfunkel on his album Breakaway.
Written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields in 1936, "The Way You Look Tonight" won an Academy Award for Best Song. Fred Astaire recorded it for the Brunswick label, and it is available on many compilation albums of his. May I also suggest two 21st Century recordings? Gloria Estefan recorded an orchestra-backed version on her album The Standards, and Aaron Tippin recorded a country music, guitar-backed version on his album All in the Same Boat. These two recordings give a sense of the range of artists who have embraced the song over the years.
"Cheek To Cheek" was mentioned in the Chapter 13 author's notes. Another favorite version is Jane Monheit's from her album The Very Best of Jane Monheit.
Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James wrote "I'm Beginning To See The Light," published in 1944. My favorite version is Ella Fitzgerald's on her album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook.